Week 11: at Baltimore Ravens

FBG says: Bad matchup. Following up a forgettable rookie year, Mixon is producing an elite 4.91 yards per carry, and he's topped 60 in every game he's played. (It's worth noting he's been only one of two backs to run for more than 65 yards against these Ravens.) Mixon always carries the potential to suffer from game flow, of course, in the Bengals' offense, but when he's utilized, he's productive. A 230-pounder with fantastic wheels, Mixon is absolutely talented enough to overcome a front line that remains weak on the right side. He boasts strong instinct and a physical nature, and he frequently both eludes defenders and churns through arm tackles. He's the clear bell cow, with Giovani Bernard the clear change-of-pace back, and always projects to the upper ends of what his volume suggests. Mixon typically doesn't need Leonard Fournette's workload to deliver a solid 70-yard floor. One thing to monitor is that Mixon was added to the injury report on Thursday with a knee injury. He did show up to practice but after the practice was closed to the media. Something to monitor throughout the week.
Week 9 aside, the Ravens have spent most of 2018 as one of the league's stingiest run defenses. The fact that James Conner gashed them in the last outing isn't overly surprising - he's on fire, and the Steelers boast one of the NFL's best lines. But on the whole, few rushing attacks can create anything of note in this matchup. Only Conner and, interestingly, Joe Mixon have managed 65 yards against Baltimore thus far. Brandon Williams and Brent Urban anchor a typically-dominant front line, which eats blocks and creates room for the linebackers. C.J. Mosley remains a sure tackler in the middle, and both starting safeties are run-oriented.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK

OPP

oSNAP

RSH

YD

TD

TARG

REC

YD

TD

FumL

Pts

7

at KC

45

13

50

0

5

3

1

0

0

5.1

8

vs TB

55

21

123

2

4

3

15

0

0

25.8

10

vs NO

29

11

61

0

2

2

24

0

0

8.5

11

at BAL

0

12

14

1

3

3

38

0

0

11.2

11

at BAL

PROJ-Dodds

*

15

*

*

3

*

*

*

*

11

at BAL

PROJ-Tremblay

*

16

*

*

2

*

*

*

*

11

at BAL

PROJ-Bloom

*

13

*

*

4

*

*

*

*

Weekly Performance vs RB 1, RB 12, RB 24, RB 36

Percentile ranks

Joe Mixon's percentile rank in each category, among RB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2018 Week 10 vs NO (11 / 61 / 0 rush, 2 / 2 / 24 / 0 rec)

Mixon ran hard and set a tone early. He had gains of 7, 7, 14, and 11 yards on the opening touchdown drive. Mixon was able to use his speed to get to the edge for big gains on a pitch sweep play that the Bengals have used to good success of late. Mixon made a great catch n the left flat and accelerated past a defender for a 17-yard gain. The game script set up awfully for Mixon with the Saints scoring touchdowns on each of their five first-half possessions. With the Bengals trailing big, they were forced to abandon the run. Mixon dominated the running back snaps early. However with the Bengals in the hurry up, two-minute offense from the middle of the second quarter on, Mixon rotated fairly evenly with Giovani Bernard once the team fell behind big.

2018 Week 8 vs TB (21 / 123 / 2 rush, 4 / 3 / 15 / 0 rec)

Mixon played a career-high 85% of the snaps and was the clear centerpiece of the Bengals offense. He put together a monster first half, rushing for over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns before the break. While he was certainly running well, he often had big holes to run through. Mixon broke off an 18-yard gain on the very first play of the game but was later dropped for a short loss on 4th-and-1 to end the drive. Mixon walked in for an easy 1-yard touchdown after a long completion to Tyler Boyd setup the Bengals just shy of the goal line. Mixon had three short receptions, all on the same second-quarter drive. The Bengals did a great job of getting Mixon to the outside where he could use his speed to get around the edge. He picked up 13 to get the Bengals into the red zone on a pitch to the sideline. After a couple long completions to Tyler Boyd, Mixon ran for a 12-yard touchdown off of right tackle, galloping through a big hole, splitting a pair of defenders to get into the end zone untouched. He finished off his monster first half with a big-time run on a gain of 43 yards. Mixon weaved through defenders and accelerated to top speed for the big gainer. Like the rest of the offense, Mixon did not do much in the second half. Three of his eight second-half runs went for negative yardage.

2018 Week 7 vs KC (13 / 50 / 0 rush, 5 / 3 / 1 / 0 rec)

The lackluster numbers don't tell the story of Mixon's performance. He made everything he could of the opportunities he had. Mixon was especially effective on 3rd-and-short, showing patience and incredible lateral agility to hop sideways when a hole finally opened and then lowering his pads to push pas the line to gain. The issue was there was simply nowhere for Mixon to go on too many runs. Mixon also failed to make an impact as a pass catcher. The Bengals rarely split him out wide and the Chiefs always had a man on him when he leaked out of the backfield. Despite the lack of production, Mixon still showed his impressive abilities as a receiver. He made a sweet one-hand grab on the opening drive and then made the first man miss but was still held to a gain of just two yards.

2018 Week 6 vs PIT (11 / 64 / 1 rush, 7 / 4 / 20 / 0 rec)

The Bengals didn't have enough possession to truly get Mixon going and only managed 13 rushing attempts total as a team. However, with somewhat limited touches, Mixon's physicality and explosiveness was on full display. He set the tone for the offense early with cutback runs of 13 and 17 yards, both time lowering his pads and delivering blows at the end of the run. He also made some nice plays as a pass catcher singled up against linebacker Vince Williams. He was able to get separation with quick cuts and showed off his excellent hands. Mixon's 4-yard touchdown went right up the middle and put the Bengals ahead late. He lowered his pads and powered through two defenders near the goal line.

2018 Week 5 vs MIA (22 / 93 / 0 rush, 4 / 3 / 22 / 1 rec)

Mixon showed no ill effects from the knee surgery that kept him out of the last two games. He looked quick and was able to make explosive cuts. Mixon also instantly returned to a massive workload, touching the ball 25 times against Miami despite sharing time with Mark Walton. Mixon was instrumental on the two most important drives of the day for the Bengals. He scored the only offensive touchdown of the game on an 18-yard catch. He lined up in the backfield and ran a route down the seam before breaking to the outside. Under heavy pressure, Dalton lofted it up in Mixon's direction. Mixon was able to come back to the ball and make a leaping catch and then run a couple yards into the end zone. He is one of the few bigger backs in the league who can make wide receiver-like plays like this out of the backfield. On the go-ahead field goal drive late in the fourth quarter, it was almost all Mixon. He had an 11-yard gain on a delayed draw up the middle. The next play, he took a handoff up the middle, found no room to run and bounced it outside with a sharp cut and then accelerated for a 31-yard gain. He showed the change of direction and speed that make him a special talent. He then made a man miss and on an eight yard gain just down to the 2-yard line. In addition to the crucial tangible contributions, Mixon's playmaking and attitude helped get the crowd into the game and build some mo-mentum when things were looking bleak.

2018 Week 2 vs BAL (21 / 84 / 0 rush, 1 / 1 / 3 / 0 rec)

Mixon ran hard and had a couple highlight runs, including a 21-yard scamper that was one of the game's deciding plays. He started right and found nowhere to run, then reversed all the way back across the field to break loose for the big gain. It allowed the Bengals to milk the clock late and set up a field goal to put Cincinnati up by 8 in the games final minutes. Mixon had a goal line carry from the 1-yard line early, but was dropped for a three-yard loss when he tried to break it outside. Mixon left the game in the first half with a knee injury and was listed as questionable to return, spending much of the second quarter in the locker room. He returned and gutted through a knee injury that was obviously bothering him, as he came up gimpy after a couple runs. After the game, Mixon had surgery to remove a loose body in his knee. The procedure was deemed a success and Mixon is reported to be out for the next 2-4 weeks. The most likely return dates would be either Week 5 against the Dolphins or Week 6 against the Steelers.

2018 Week 1 vs IND (17 / 95 / 1 rush, 7 / 5 / 54 / 0 rec)

Mixon was fantastic, both as a runner and pass catcher against the Colts and looks to be well on his way to a breakout season. The Bengals clearly wanted to get him established early, with six of the first seven plays of the game either handoffs or passes to Mixon. He quickly made his presence with a decisive 7-yard run straight up the gut on the first play of the game. He opened the second drive with runs of 4 and 7 yards and then burst for a gain of 21 on a screen pass down the left sideline. He looks noticeably faster and more explosive after slimming down in the offseason. His speed was evident on his long run of the day as well. He outran a Colts linebacker to the edge on an outside run and flew down the sideline for a gain of 21. Mixon's touchdown came from a yard out. The Bengals lined up in a heavy formation with a defensive lineman in at fullback and Mixon leaped over the top to get in. Mixon dominated in terms of usage, with over 90% (22 of 24) of the running back touches on the day. On the game-winning fourth-quarter drive, Mixon was the key, touching the ball on 7-of-10 plays. His seven targets show the Bengals plan to use him heavily as a pass catcher, which makes him an elite fantasy option going forward.

Latest News

Bengals | Joe Mixon finds end zone (Sun Nov 18, 05:48 PM) - Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon rushed for 14 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. He also caught three passes for 38 yards during the game.

Our View: Mixon got an early score or otherwise would have been a bust today. The Ravens are still a tough run defense and the Bengals are going to have trouble getting Mixon going while AJ Green is out. That's the key to determining whether to play him against the Browns next week.link to story

Our View: Mixon is more RB2 than RB1 on the road at Baltimore in an offense that is missing its best weapon. This makes Giovani Bernard a less essential handcuff with Mixon off of the injury report.link to story

Our View: Chances are you don't have two backs better than Mixon on your roster, but if you were debating whether to play him in a close call this week, the knee issue could be the tiebreaker assuming he doesn't get in a full practice and remains on the injury report on game day.link to story

Our View: Mixon played well on his limited touches, but this game got away from the Bengals very quickly and he wasn't used much in the second half. His value is on the decline with the rest of this offense heading into a matchup at Baltimore.link to story